Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam

by Gilles Kepel

Book Overview

The late twentieth century has witnessed the emergence of an unexpected and extraordinary phenomenon: Islamist political movements. Beginning in the early 1970s, militants revolted against the regimes in power throughout the Muslim world and exacerbated political conflicts everywhere. Their jihad, or "Holy Struggle," aimed to establish a global Islamic state based solely on a strict interpretation of the Koran. Religious ideology proved a cohesive...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674008774
• ISBN13: 9780674008779
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Belknap Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

THE CULTURAL POLITICAL WOMB WHICH GIVES BIRTH TO MILITANT ISLAM

An outstanding book!! Although his underlying assertion is controversial (militant Islam is on its last legs...), Kepel's work is an impressive, and worthwhile, history. The subtitle (The Trail of Political Islam) is a good description of the book's contents, as it doesn't deal with Jihad per se, but it's causes. In it's pages Professor Kepel describes the recent cultural, historical and political circumstances which occasioned the rise of Militant Islam in different geographical areas across the globe. He displays a breadth and depth of knowledge that is amazing. In the book, he details political currents, players, sentiments and events in country after country (Palestine, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Algeria, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, to name most). The circumstances he describes are complex, but he evidences a deep understanding of underlying culture, motives, and history. It is a tribute to his skill as a writer that he is able to do this without his book becoming a mere historical catalogue. In reading these various stories of militancy's birth, certain recurrent themes begin to emerge. For instance, it was interesting to see the phenomenon of `vacuum' as a precursor to the rise of Fundamentalist Islam. That is, in case after case, Kepel details the emergence of political, cultural or religious vacuums - yawning societal chasms which cry out to be filled. Time after time it is Islamism which rushes in to fill that hole. (It seems that `the vacuum' is abhorred by culture as well as nature) Unfortunately, in most cases it seems that Fundamentalist Islam was the only option available at the time. Also of interest was the sophisticated political savvy with which emerging and established Islamist leaders were able to operate in order to manipulate the populace and maintain power. Some of their shenanigans were all too familiar to me as a Westerner. As a result of reading this book, my understanding of militancy as a worldview birthed in personal and corporate history, has grown. One caveat, however, is in order: Although well written and basically without rabbit trails or much wasted verbage, the book is not a light read. (Considering the subject matter, that's understandable.) I would say that a certain level of genuine interest on the part of the reader is required in order to effectively engage this presentation. That said, for those who are interested, for those who wish to understand the underlying themes which give rise to Islamic extremism, and gain a better understanding of extremism itself, I highly recommend this book.

Excellent book, offers some unique analysis

Kipel's book is both an authentic guide and a quick survey of the rise - and his assessment of the fall - of militant Islamic Jihad. Kipel traces the origins of Muslim radical movements in all of the Islamic countries and highlights the circumstances that diverted them from theological preaching to violent activity. From the very beginning, Kipel offers a unique analysis saying that the events of 9/11 signaled the end of Islamic terrorism and not its climax since militant Muslim groups felt compelled to win some attention among fellow Muslims by embarking on a grandiose terror activity, but to no avail. Kipel also tells of the reaction of the different regimes to these movements. At the time some rulers quenched Muslim radical groups and systematically destroyed them later, other sovereigns contained them or even used them to consolidate their rule. The book has a peculiarly interesting entry about the Muslim community in Europe and describes its growth and eventual politicization. Fitting this voluminous information into a single book, however, meant that Kipel had to sacrifice other pieces of info. When describing the relations of these movements with foreign - regional and international groups - the book only provides a quick narration of the CIA support of Muslim Mujahideen in their war in Afghanistan against the Soviets. In other Muslim countries that witnessed a rise in militant Islamic activity, relations of these groups were put only in their domestic context. The book also offers a unique analysis of the Islamic movement as it ties its dynamics, in a Marxist manner, to the relations between the different social classes and their socioeconomic circumstances, especially the always rising unemployment.

Consensus

Kepel's book is considered an excellent source on political Islam by a variety of sources. The reviews are true. In this book, Kepel gives a thematic and historical explanation of Islamism. His writing also gives recent events in the Middle East a context and continuity that they deserve and is often ignored by our soundbyte media.

Fabulous book

Having spend several years living and traveling in the Gulf during the 1970's I felt this book was extremely informative and thorough in its review and discussion of political islam. For anyone who really, really wants to know what is going on in that part of the world - this is the book to get.

Good intro to Islamist movement

Kepel's `Jihad' is an excellent introduction to modern Islamism. This is a great book if you want to know more about various Islamist movements such as: bin Laden's al-Qaeda, the civil war in Algeria, the Shi'ite revolution in Iran, the Taliban in Afganistan, and the various Islamist movements from Egypt to Malaysia. Kepel comes to an interesting and controversial conclusion. At a time when the US administration is making vast increases to the budget to fight the war on terror (against Muslim terrorists), Kepel writes that Islamism has seen its peak as a political movement and has been on the decline since the mid 1990's. He wrote in his conclusion:"In spite of what many hasty commentators contended in its (September 11th) immediate aftermath, the attack on the United States was a desperate symbol of isolation, fragmentation, and decline of the Islamist movement, not a sign of its strength and irrepressible might." My reaction to this conclusion (I read the conclusion before reading the entire book) was similar to what Walter Laqueur wrote in his article `A Failure of Intelligence', published in The Atlantic Monthly - March 2002:"However, the same conditions that gave birth to Islamism thirty years ago persist: economic stagnation or even negative growth, the unemployment of the young. So do resentment and free-floating rage. If Islamism is bankrupt, where is the ideology to replace it?" These are good observations, but they miss the point of Kepel's book. Kepel does not cover what he thinks will replace Islamism. Laqueur's arguments make me wonder if he even read the entire book. (Laqueur also finishes with some ridiculous statements about a lack of Middle Eastern self-criticism, which makes it sound like Laqueur has digested the ideas of the famous orientalist Bernard Lewis more than anything Kepel wrote.) Kepel is not making a sweeping statement about Islam and the West - that the tension is over and everyone will live happily ever after. Kepel realizes there will be violence in the name of Jihad. For example, his conclusion also stated:"This does not mean that we shall not see other outbursts of terrorism that claim the mantle of jihad. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular will be ripe for more violence." Kepel's book is more informed and specific than Laqueur acknowledges. It is about specific movements within the Islamic world, started by theorists such as Mawdudi from Pakistan or Qutb from Egypt. These movements seemed to be ready to take over the Middle East as recent as five years ago. Islamist movements succeeded in Iran and Afganistan, and in various other places in the Middle East. But since then the theories behind Islamism have not been as accepted. This is due to complex reasons, such as the increased power of the middle class in the various countries, which Kepel covers in detail. If there is a fault in Kepel's `Jihad', it is that the text takes a while to get used to, sin